1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices made from linear nanostructures, and, more specifically, to devices based on interactions of mechanically oscillating nanotubes, e.g., a nanotube radio or sensor.
2. Related Art
Radio has had a profound effect on civilization from its early use in critical communications, such as with ships at sea, to its later use during the “golden age” of radio in the 1930's as a mass medium for news and entertainment, and finally to its more recent uses in cellular phones, wireless computer networks, and the global positioning system. Historically, applications of radio have been tightly linked to available technology. Early spark-gap receivers, for example, were capable of receiving only on/off signals such as Morse code. Vacuum tube technology enabled cheap, reliable audio communication. Perhaps most strikingly, the solid-state transistor transformed the radio from a bulky, power-hungry, and stationary unit to a device that could be carried in a shirt-pocket. Indeed, the transistor radio marked the beginning of a general trend of electronics miniaturization for communications and computation that has continued to this day. Further miniaturization, however, is expected to necessitate new architectures employing nanoscale materials, such as nanotubes.
Combining many of the unique electrical and mechanical properties of nanotubes, it is now possible to fabricate a fully functional nanotube resonator device such as a radio receiver from a single nanotube, orders-of-magnitude smaller than previous radios. A nanotube radio may lead to new applications such as smaller, cheaper, and more efficient wireless devices and even radio-controlled devices small enough to travel through one's bloodstream. Resonator devices such as transmitters, antennas, demodulators and chemical sensors are also now possible, as described below.
Specific Patents and Publications
Jensen et al., “Nanotube Radio,” Nano Letters, 7(11):3508-3511 was published by authors including the present inventors on the web on Oct. 31, 2007.
Jensen et al, “An atomic-resolution nanomechanical mass sensor” Nature Nanotechnology, 3 (2008) was published by authors including the present inventors on the web on Jul. 20, 2008.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,157,990 to Adam, et al., issued Jan. 2, 2007, entitled “Radio frequency device and method using a carbon nanotube array,” discloses a radio frequency (RF) filter includes a substrate, first and second dielectric layers formed on first and second portions of the substrate, a ground plane formed on a third portion of said substrate, a carbon nanotube array, and first and second electrodes.